Briqueting-machine.



w. n. ALEXANDER. BRIQUETING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15. 1917- 1,291,705. Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

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W. D. ALEXANDER.

BRIQUETING- MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15. 1917.

ISHEETSSHEET 3.

Wye/War Wm? 0. A/e/m/vder W. D. ALEXANDER.

BRIQUETLNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 15- I917. 1,291,705, Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

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W. D. ALEXANDER.

BRIQUETING MACHINE.

APPLlCATION man on. :5. I917.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 6 Il -II r N4 I v W. D. ALEXANDER.

BRIQUETING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- I5. 19:7.

1,291,705. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

Wren/0r War/m LIA/minder WWW UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE.

WARREN D. ALEXANDER, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BRIQUETING-MAGHIN E.

Application filed October 15, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN D. ALEX- ANDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Briqueting- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in briqueting machines; 11. 6. machines adapted to compress loose materials into compact form; and this invention further and more particularly relates to that form of briqueting machine wherein the material is compressed and formed into a stick, a binding wire or the like is placed around the compressed stick, and the stick is then twisted or revolved to twist the binding wire and form a tie to hold it on the stick.

This invention is particularly characterized by novel mechanisms in those portions of the machine which receive the compressed stick or briquet and which cause the separation of a continuously formed stick into individual briquets, and which cause the rotation of the briquet, with its binding wire, to twist the wire. Along the lines thus generally described, there are various detailed improvements of mechanisms and of operation in the new briqueting machine, all of which are explained in the following specification in their specific and preferred form; reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken as indicated by line 22 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is in part an end elevation and in part a central vertical section taken as indicated by line 33 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken as indicated by line 4-1 on Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken as indicated by line 55 on Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detail section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a detail section of a part shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section taken on line 88 on Fig. 4; Fig. 9 is a detail section taken on line 99 on Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in another position; Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on line 1111 on Fig. 8; Fig. 12 is a horizontal section taken on line 1212 on Figs. 11 and 4:; Fig. 13 is a similar section showing the parts in another position; and Fig. 14 is a detail section taken on line 14-14 on Fig. 13.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Serial No. 196,568.

In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a suitable frame work, the upper portion of which carries the main shaft bearings 11 and the lower portion 10 of which forms the frame and housing for the dies and briquet receiving and twisting machinery, etc. This frame work is preferably made comparatively heavy so as to withstand the strains to which the mechanism is subjected.

The main shaft 12 is mounted in bearings 11 and may be driven by any suitable power, through the medium of large driving gear 13. Shaft 12 has two cranks, one on each of its opposite ends, as shown at 14:; and connecting rod 15 extends from these cranks to wrist pins 16 of cross-heads 17 which reciprocate in ways 18 on the sides of the frame 10. These ways serve to guide the cross-heads and serve also to keep the plungers 19, mounted upon the lower ends of the cross-heads, in their proper vertical alinement. The plungers reciprocate vertically in the hoppers 20 and in the dies 21. Hoppers 20 may be of the form shown, with covers 20 provided with rings or the like 20 making a tight fit around plungers 19; the hoppers being fed by the tube 20*. Dies 21 communicate at their upper ends with the lower ends of the hoppers and the material to be compressed is fed into the hoppers and drops down into the dies below the plungers 19 when the plungers are raised; and, upon the immediate subsequent downward pushing of the plunger, the material compressed in to the die.

The construction and operation of each of the mechanisms embodied in a complete machine is the same as the other; so that a description of one of the mechanisms will be sufficient.

The die 21 need not be described in great detail, as it is not particularly a part of the novel features herein set forth. It is generally cylindrical in form and split as shown at 25 and provided with means, as at 26, for contacting its lower end to increase the resistance to the compressed material passing therethrough. On each of two opposite sides the die is provided with a set of knives 27 which are adapted to form opposite cuts or kerfs in the mass of material being forced through the die by the plunger 1!). Immediately below the knives a pair of binding wires 28 is fed into the die and into the opposite cuts, the wires passing in over guides 29 and passing downwardly. These wires are twisted together beneath the stick of material which is being formed in and forced downwardly through and out of the die. The stick of compressed material is formed and increased in length upon each reciproca-,

- die. And it is provided with a plurality of spring holders 31 secured to the tube 32; the lower ends of these springs extending inwardly to support a severed briquet and the upper ends being provided with hooks or catches 33, as is shown in detail in Fig.

catching in the compressed material of the stick and of causing a portion of the stick to be formed into briquets, when the tube 30 moves downwardly, as hereinafter described.

Around the upper end of the tube, and n'iount-r ed upon the tube so that the tube may revolve within it, a ring 35 is mounted upon trunnions 36 which has bearing lugs 37 sliding in vertical ways '38. .Trunnions are engaged by the ends 39 of a lever 40 pivoted at 41, the other end of this lever having a roller or pin 42 which follows a cam slot 43 in a verticaily movable cam 44, hereinafter described. 1mmediatelybelow the ring 35 a clutch member 45 is rigidly mounted upon the tube 30. This clutch member 45 is complementary to another clutch member 46 mounted upon a sleeve 47 which is mounted upon tube 30 to normally revolve thereon. This sleeve 47 is at its lower end provided with driving or clutch lugs 48 adapted to slidingly interengage with lugs 49-, of a driving sleeve 50. Driving sleeve 50 is mounted in bearings 51, and the tube 30 is carried within the sleeve 50. Driving sleeve 50 carries driving pulley driven by a belt 53 from drive wheel 54 driven through connections 55, 56, 57 from the main shaft 12. Pulley 52 and tube 30, and sleeve 47. and clutch member 46, rotate continuously at a suitable speed. It will be noted that clutch member 46, in its normal position, is not quite in engagement with clutch member 45; so that normally clutch member 45 and tube 30 are at rest. However, in the operation of the machine, by mechanism hereinafter described, tube 30 and clutch member 45 are moved downwardly as soon as a certain length of compressed stick has been formed. This downward movement causes the formed stick to be severed; the hooks 33 engaging the material and causing a separation at the level of the hooks. The material is compressed in more or less horizontal layers; and is separated with fair ease by the downward pulling action of the hooks. As the tube 30 4. These hooks 33 are for the purpose of.

moves downwardly the wires 28 are pulled out, so a surplus of wire is had between the upper-end of the severedbriquet and the lower end of the stick parts above. During this downward motion of tube 30 the tube is rotated, and the wire between the two parts of the compressed material is twisted. Rotation of thetube and of the briquet begins as soon as the clutch member 45 is moved down on part 46 and continues throughout the downward movement of tube 30. During the upward movement immediately subsequent, the twisted Wires are out about centrally between the formed and twisted briquets and the material above which is stillheld in the die 21. At the extreme lower position of tube 30 the clutch member 46'is moved down out of engagement with clutch member 45, and then the clutch member45 moves up with tube 30 to the normal position shown in Fig. 5, clutch member '45 during this movement being out of engagement with the clutch member'46; so that the .tube 30 stops rotation during. its upward movement; being at rest when it reaches its uppermost position. Having reached its uppermost position,-the operation of forming the next briquet proceeds; the clutch member 46 coming backto its normal position slowly enough so that it does not again engage with clutch member 45 during theupward'movement, but fast enough so as-to be backin its normal position before'the beginning of the next'operation. The positions of the parts when tube 30 is lowermost and when the wires have been twisted, and when the clutch member 46 has been moved down out'of engagement with member 45, is shown in Fig. 10. The twisted wires are out immediately after the mechanism has reached this position; and the briquet,-which thus stands finished in the tube 30, is held in the tube by the lower ends of: springs 31 until it is moved downwardly by the forced downward movement of the stick being formed and moved downwardly from above.

The iuechanisms for causing the movements just described will now be set forth in detail. The clutch sleeve 47 has a ring 60, which may be moved vertically'by a lever 61, pivoted at" 62. This lever 61 has a weight 63 which tends to move the lever to move ring 60 and clutch member 46 upwardly; but a small dash pot 64 is provided for the purpose of retarding-this upward movement of clutch member 46. Clutch 46 is initially pushed downward by the downward movement of clutch member 45; but when clutch member 45 has reached its lowermost position, then clutch member 46 is, after a slight interval,moved on down a short distance by the upward movement of a lever 65 pivoted at 66 (see Figs. 4, 5 and 10) this lever 65 moving upwardly beneath lever 61. The end 65 of this lever 65 lies within a loop 67 on the lower end of Vertically moving cam 44; and when the cam has reached the end of its upward movement, it has raised the lever 65 and thus caused clutch member 46 to be moved downwardly away from clutch member 45.

This cam 44 also actuates the lever 40 which causes the downward movement of tube 30, and actuates the wire cutter 70. Cam 44 is provided with the cam slot 43 of about the shape shown in Fig. 4, which cam slot causes the downward movement of tube 30, through the medium of lever 40. It will be noted that this cam slot has first a straight vertical portion 43 and then a diagonal portion 43 and then finally a straight vertical portion 43. The upper straight portion 43 provides that the tube 30 shall be held in its proper position relative to the other working parts of the machine, regardless of any slight variation of vertical position in the cam. The construction also acts as a\ lock, preventing any downward. pressure on the material tube from moving the cam through the medium of the lever 40. The diagonal cam slot part 43 causes, as the cam moves upwardly, the movement of lever 40 in the direction indicated in Fig. 4, causing the requisite downward movement of tube 30; and the straight part 43 then causes the tube 30 to remain stationary during the further upward movement of the cam and during the continued rotation of tube 30 until the cam has moved upwardly far enough to cause upward movement of lever 65, and further until the cam 44 has again moved down and brought the diagonal cam slot 43 intoplay. During the rotation of the tube 30 the wire parts are twisted as shown in Fig. 10; there being preferably three or four twists made in the wires.

The wire cutters 70 are preferably in the form of shears 69 pivoted at 71 on a horizontal slider block 72, which slider block slides in guide 68 and has a roller or pin 73 normally engaging cam slot 74 of the cam 44. This slot 74 leads vertically downwardly; and has in it a spring supported cam gate 75 over which the pin 73 may ride, depressing the gate as the cam moves up. The cam gate is supported on a flat spring 75 (see Fig. But when the cam has moved to its uppermost position, then the gate springs out again to normal position and causes the pin 73 to follow the diagonal cam slot 76 upon the downward return movement of the cam. This slot 76 causes the outward movement of slider block 72. in the direction indicated in Figs. 4 and 8, and causes the outward movement of the shears 7 0. At the same time the shears are caused to close by the action of slots 77 in the ends of the shear arms, guided by sta tionary pins 78. The arrangement and design is such that, during this first part of the downward movement of cam 44, the shears are moved outwardly in the direction indicated, and are also caused to be closed around the twisted wires which then stand in the position indicated at 80 in Fig. 8. This shearing action takes place at just about the time the material receiving tube starts back up. The twisted wires are thus severed, and are severed at about the center of their twist. It will .be noted, particularly by reference to Fig. 10, that the shears 70 are situated at about opposite the center of the twisted parts of the wire, so that when the wire is cut a. part of the twist remains with the lower formed briquet and a part remains with the upper forming briquet. After the shears are closed and cutting of the wire has taken place; then, when pin 73 reaches the point 76 of cam slot 76, the shears are quickly opened by the cam slot 7 6 and by a spring 72 which tends to retract block 7 2 and the shears 70.

I shall now describe the mechanism which actuates and controls the movement of the cam 44. It will be seen that the movement of this cam causes the proper actuation of all the other parts of mechanism herein described. This cam is itself actuated from the cross-head 17, through the medium of a vertically reciprocating bar 90. The bar 90 reciprocates continuously with the crosshead and is guided in a guide member 91. At its lower end this bar 90 has a beveled face 92 and a notch 93. Guide member 91 is mounted upon the cam 44. The upper end of this cam has a Hat plate 94 with upwardly projecting spacing lugs 95; and the fiat flange 91 of guide member 91 is mounted upon these lugs 95; leaving space between the parts 91 and 94 for a horizontally movable lock plate 96. The horizontally movable lock plate 96 moves in the directions indicated in Figs. 12 and 13, being moved in the direction indicated in Fig. 13 by a fiat spring 97. The normal position is shown in Fig. 13. Plate 96 is held in this normal position by the action of two bevel faced members 98 and 99, member 98 projecting from lock plate 96, and the member 99 being in the form of a longitudinally movable plunger with an upper beveled face as shown in Fig. 14. This plunger 99 is mounted in Suitable guide bearings 100 and is normally pressed to the position shown in Fig. 13 by a spring 101. When the member 99 is in the position shown in Fig. 13, then, with the parts in their normal position as shown in Fig. 4, the member 98 will be pushed over to the left (see Fig. 14) moving the lock plate 96 to the left and causing the aperture 96 therein to register with the guide 91, allowing bar 90 to reciprocate freely without moving any of the 12, the bar 90, on its neXt downward moveto be moved by spring 97 to the right, as

indicated by the arrow in Fig. 13, to the position shown in Fig. 12. The lock plate having assumed the position shown in Fig.

ment, with its beveled face 92 pushes the plate 96 aside and the plate then enters notch 93. The plate thus assumes the position shown in Fig. 11, and. the rod 90 then moving upwardly carries with it the parts thus locked to it; namely, the cam 44 and all the parts mounted upon the cam. (Jam 44 is mounted to slide vertically in ways 105; and an adjusting screw 106 provides means for adjustably limiting the downward movement of the cam, so as to put the cam in ust the right normal posltion .to cause the mechanism to act correctly.

Once the cam 44 is locked to rod 90, it is immediately moved upwardly and then downwardly through a full reciprocation stroke of rod 90; being released from the .rod 90 immediately upon returning to its normal position.

Atraeker wheel 110 is mounted upon a shaft 111; and this wheel 110 projects through the wall of die 21 and comes into engagement with the downwardly moving compressed material. The wheel 110 is, by this engagement, rotated in the direction in dicated by the arrow in Fig. 8; and thus a shaft 112 is caused to move in the direc ?tion indicated by the arrows in Figs. 8 and 9; the two shafts 111 and 112 being connected by gears113. Shaft 112 carries upon its end a disk 114 having a plurality of pins 115 therein; and a hook 116 is pivoted at 117 on the member 99 and is adapted to move upwardly and engage any one of the pins 115. A connecting rod 118 connects hook 116 with a small trip lever 119; and a spring 120' serves to cause the hook to engage the pins'115. Lever 120 is pivoted at 121 andyhas an end 122 which projects into such position as to be struck by a pin 123 mounted 'upon'the cam During the rotation of disk114, each time a pin 115 comes to the proper position it engages in the hook 116 and moves the hook, and with it the member 99' in the direction indicated by the'arrow in Fig. 9. As soon as member 99 has been pulled out of engagement with lug 98, then the lock plate is allowedto move, as hereinbefore described, and the cam .44 is thus locked to reciprocating rod 90 and moves up with the rod during its neXt upwardmovement. During this upward movement'the pin 123 strikes the end 122 of lever 119 and disengages hook 116 from the pin 115, allowing the hook and member 99 to come back to the normal po sition indicated in Fig. 13. When the cam :44 is .loweredagain to its normal position,

moves into engagement.

thenthe lug 98 strikes the beveled face of the plunger 99, and, as the cam comes back to its normal position, the lock plate 96 is moved over from the position shown in Fig. 12 to the position shown in Fig. 13; releasing the lock plate from the rod 90 and allowing the'rod 90 to go on reciprocating without causing action of the other parts.

As soon as another pin 115 comes into engagement with hook 116, the action herein described is repeated. "Each time this action is repeated, a new briquet is severed andis bound with wire. The length of a finished briquet may be regulated by varying the number of pins in disk 114, 01 by varying the rate of rotation of the disk with reference to the'linear speed-of the material passing downwardlv through the die.

Having described a preferred form ofmy invention, I claim:

1. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a member adapted to receive the compressed and formedmaterial from said means, material gripping and holding members on the receiving member, and means to move the receiving member away from said means and, by virtue of said movement, to cause rotation thereof during its period of removal.

2. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a member adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, material gripping and holding members on the receiving member, said members embodying springs having catch hooks on their ends toward said means and adapted at their other ends to friction-' ally hold the material, and means to move the receiving member away from said means and, by virtue of said movement, to cause rotation thereof during its period of removal.

3. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, material holding means in the tube, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward the said means, and means thrown into operative engagement by said longitudinal movement to rotate the tube.

4. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, material holding means in the tube, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward the said means, and means thrown into operative engagement by said longitudinal movement to. rotate'the tube, said means including a clutch member on the tube and ayieldingly movable clutch member with which the tube clutch member 5. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, material holding means in the tube, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward the said means, and means thrown into operative engagement by said longitudinal movement to rotate the tube, said means including a clutch member on the tube and a yieldingly movable clutch member with which the tube clutch member moves into engagement during longitudinal movement away from the compressing and forming means, and means to move the second mentioned clutch member away from the first mentioned clutch member at the inception of movement of the tube back toward the said means.

6. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, material holding means in the tube, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward the said means, and means thrown into operative engagement by ,said longitudinal movement to rotate the tube, said means including a clutch member on the tube and a yieldingly movable clutch member with which the tube clutch member moves into engagement during longitudinal movement away from the first mentioned clutch member at the inception of movement of the tube back toward the said means, and means to retard the movement of the second mentioned clutch member back to its normal position.

7 In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable material receiving mem ber adapted to receive the compressed and formed material from said means, means to move the member longitudinally -from and toward said means, rotating means thrown into operative engagement by said movement from said means, and mechanism for disengaging the rotating means at the inception of movement back toward said compressing and forming means.

8. In combination, material. compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube arranged endwise to said means and adapted to receive the compressed and formed material therefrom, material gripping and holding springs within the tube having catch hooks on their ends toward saidmeans, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward saidmeans, rotating means thrown into operatlve engagement by said movement from said means, and mechanism for dlsengagmg the rotating means at the inceptlon of movement back toward said compressing and forming means.

9. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube arranged endwise to said means and adapted to receive the compressed and formed material therefrom, material gripping and holding springs with in the tube having catch hooks on their ends toward said means, a clutch member on the tube, a longitudinally movable constantly driven clutch member and yielding means for moving it toward and normally holding it in a position near the tube clutch member, means to retard the movement of the second mentioned clutch member toward its normal position, and means to move the tube with its clutch member away from and toward the forming means.

10. In con'ibination, material compressing and forming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube arranged endwise to said means and adapted to receive the compressed and formed material therefrom, material gripping and holding springs within the tube having catch hooks on their ends toward said means, a clutch member on the tube, a longitudinally movable constantly driven clutch member and yielding means for moving it toward and normally holding 1t in a position near the tube clutch ment ber, means to retard the movement of the second mentioned clutch member toward its normal position, means to move the tube with its clutch member away from and toward the forming means, thereby engaging the two clutch members and moving the second mentioned clutch member away from its normal position, and means for moving the second mentioned clutch member away from the tube clutch member at the incep tion of movement of the tube and its clutch member back toward the compressing and 't'orming means.

11. In combination, material conmressing and :torming means, a longitudinally movable and rotatable tube arranged endwise to said means and adapted to receive the compressed and formed material therefrom, material gripping and holding springs within the tube having catch hooks on their ends toward said means, means to move the tube longitudinally from and toward said means, a clutch member on the tube, a longitudinally movable constantly driven clutch member and yielding means f or moving it toward and normally holding it in a position near the tube clutch member, means to retard the movement of the second mentioned clutch member toward its normal position, means to move the tube with its clutch member away from and toward the forming means, thereby engaging the two clutch members and IHOViDQ' the second mentioned clutch member away from its normal position, and means for moving the second mentioned clutch member away from the tube clutch member at the inception of movement of the tube and its clutch member back toward the compressing and forming means, said tube moving means being under control of mechanism actuated by the movement of material being formed, and said means I for moving the second mentioned clutch member being in cooperation with the tube moving means.

12. In combination, material compressing and forming means, a member adapted to receive and hold the compressed formed ma terial from said means, means to cause relative separation between the receiving member and said means, and means to cause rotation of the receiving member relative to' 15 Copies of this patent may be obtained for nve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washingt n, D. Q. 

